I don't know about best but I will say pretty damn good.
I am one of the few who does not run WTB tires here in MV.
Home of WTB no less.
I like most of their other products but their tires and I have just not gotten along.
Until now.
These babys ROK!
Guys at the LBS talked me into them and so far very impressed.
The bike these are on are a Turner Sixpack and I usually don't run anything smaller than a 2.2 or 2.3.
Normally a bigger tire up front and smaller in the rear but these 2.1's are on the front and rear and are amazing.
I first had the 2.3 version up front and the 2.1 rear but have switched to 2.1's front and back.
They mount really easily on my fussy rims, Mavic 819's, with a floorpump no less!, they stick like GLUE in almost all the wacky, wet/dry conditions we've been having lately, and the farther you lean the more they stick. Very confidence inspiring.
They are very grippy, they roll fast, they don't seem to pack mud in the knobs,they slip out of mud and gunk like any other tire but for 2.1's they stuck in there pretty good. And of course, last but not least, they are expensive.
Most good tires are.
Most WTB tires have that gap between the outside knobs and the first inner knobs and when and leaning into turns they would slip out before grabbing, there designed that way, but that made me feel like I was losin it and sometimes I did trying to push the tire to hard.
WTB knew this and addressed the issue , less space between rows, bigger outside knobs, tech talk add infinitum blah blah blah, but these tires seem to act much different, specially at speed.
You can talk all you want about a tire, it's this or that, DNA, bead, whatever, what really matters though is feel.
I try out many, many tires, tubeless and tubed, and these are noticeably different.
They feel fast and grippy on roots, rocks,ST and fire road.
Only question left is, how long will they last?.....
One last thing, you must use some type of sealant, Stans, Green goo, whatever, or they will not stay inflated on your rims. At least on mine.
WTB recommends this anyway.
Also when I was at my LBS last week the WTB rep was there and mentioned the Bronson would be coming out around first week of February.
He said it probably would be a better tire in dry conditions rather than wet. FYI
We shall see.
Did I forget anything?
Probably said too much.
Cheers and good luck in your quest for the perfect tire.
G

Anyone have a report on the Tioga Psycho Genius that is new for this year? I am thinking of getting some in the 2.1 size to do some XC racing on. I have been riding the Bontragger XC Jones tubeless ready in 2.1 to race and 2.35 for trail riding, but they don't make that model anymore.

I'm running a Weirwolf 2.3 TCS up front and a Wolverine 2.2 TCS out back. So far this is my favorite setup, they're heavy but rolls fast and grips and drifts very nicely. Gives a lot of feedback before letting go and when it does let go its predictable. I'm sure there are tires that have more max grip but these tires feel the fastest and don't give up much grip to get there.

The WTB booth has been at the last 5 or 10 functions and they always have it out. So you're saying I should smash and grab? nice!

Originally Posted by Yody

I'm running a Weirwolf 2.3 TCS up front and a Wolverine 2.2 TCS out back. So far this is my favorite setup, they're heavy but rolls fast and grips and drifts very nicely. Gives a lot of feedback before letting go and when it does let go its predictable. I'm sure there are tires that have more max grip but these tires feel the fastest and don't give up much grip to get there.

yeah i run the 2.3 tcs weir on one bike up front, with a mutano 2.25 rear. Then a 2.1 tcs weir / 2.0 kenda karma or 2.1 maxxis highroller rear on the hardtail. It's heavier than it was supposed to be, but it just works so damn well! I wish the 2.3 was conti rq/tk sized though, it is a little small.

No Adrian

Had not really read that thread pat the first couple posts til recently.
Rather convoluted until the end (well aren't most posts?? ). Good on you.

As for Bronson's tires one of the kids at lbs had got ahold of a pair in November "somehow" and raves on them. Has them on an SX Trail. Little more bike then I ride but the tread pattern looks pretty versatile. Think I'll wait for the season change an pull out my trusty Wolverine/WW LT setup.

Bronson for some reason doesn't appeal to me, just based on the looks ( I know thats silly, need to ride it) The knobs just don't look very supported and I don't think they wiill last long with the 50A durometer outside rubber. I know my Mutano 2.2 TCS's were breaking knobs off left and right, the Bronson knobs look even more unsupported and taller. Judging it just based on looks, it seems as if they wanted a non-drifty tire in their line up for people who don't like the more advanced drifty, flexy knob feel that comes on some of their other tires. All a guess though, the 2.3 does look pretty big for people who like the high volume.

wtb also said they're have the mold done on the tcs motoraptor for 2011. I love love loved the orginal! Some of the best braking traction I've ever had (mounted backwards), but they would never last due to sidewall cuts. Hopefully tcs helps this out!

I'm running a Weirwolf 2.3 TCS up front and a Wolverine 2.2 TCS out back. So far this is my favorite setup, they're heavy but rolls fast and grips and drifts very nicely. Gives a lot of feedback before letting go and when it does let go its predictable. I'm sure there are tires that have more max grip but these tires feel the fastest and don't give up much grip to get there.

I'm staying away from anything with TCS written on it. They are too darn heavy.

You guys talking about weight? I guess we all ride differently. Personally I like to play too much to skimp out on tires just because of a little weight. I've seen plenty of good riders on heavy tires who can climb well. The WTB tires roll really fast, with not a lot of rolling resistance. Suck it up.

You guys talking about weight? I guess we all ride differently. Personally I like to play too much to skimp out on tires just because of a little weight. I've seen plenty of good riders on heavy tires who can climb well. The WTB tires roll really fast, with not a lot of rolling resistance. Suck it up.

I agree and I love the new weir 2.3, but it's a very small 2.3...and mine weighs in at 940? 960? grams. That's not a little weight, over 2.1 pounds of just front tire. Add in some stans and you have a glorified boat anchor. I like it. Better than the kenda neverroll boat anchor people seem to swing from. That tire is just plain disappointing.

I agree and I love the new weir 2.3, but it's a very small 2.3...and mine weighs in at 940? 960? grams. That's not a little weight, over 2.1 pounds of just front tire. Add in some stans and you have a glorified boat anchor. I like it. Better than the kenda neverroll boat anchor people seem to swing from. That tire is just plain disappointing.

The old 2.5 weirwolf was 750'ish grams, and bigger.

The TCS are pigs.

The original weirwolves were my tires of choice ever since inception, but I am looking elsewhere, since they've been DQ'd.

I love those Mutano's when it's dry on the rear but man, I agree they don't hold up at all. I tore a knob off almost every ride in the mountains this summer and they are slicker than shiz in the wet. I just put on a Maxxis Ingnitor on the rear, which I hope will perform a bit better in the mud.

The original weirwolves were my tires of choice ever since inception, but I am looking elsewhere, since they've been DQ'd.

agreed. I still have my 2.5 weir...love it! TCS is almost a half pound heavier for a small 2.3, it sucks! It does transition way better (problem, as you probably know, with the old ones) and roll ALOT faster.

Yep, the legendary Ground Control S. Awesome front tire back in the day. Send them all to Rumpfy (and we'll split them up accordingly).

I also liked that tire in the front, with a Ground Control Extreme in the rear. I remember being able to ride on anything with that combo. That was back when I was riding a full rigid 89 Stumpjumper. These days I need Black Chili and 5.5" of full suspension travel for the bike paths.

I also liked that tire in the front, with a Ground Control Extreme in the rear. I remember being able to ride on anything with that combo. That was back when I was riding a full rigid 89 Stumpjumper. These days I need Black Chili and 5.5" of full suspension travel for the bike paths.

Yeah its a "job killer" tire

Originally Posted by iheartbicycles

That's a horrible tire. They have no cornering nobs what so ever. The dissent 2.5's are great tires.

IF your thinking dissent the 2.35 kenda blue groove or pana rampage come to mind. I like the 2.35 nev up front b/c its trractor like allowing you to the back of rocks and logs with grip but they roll like ****.

I have the tires in my garage and will post a pic in a minute. The few cornering knobs these tires have are angled and unsupported, with huge gaps in between. It's not a tire you can rely on in a drift.

If you don't ride such that you're borderline drifting corners, you may not notice - but I can't trust these tires.

When Mark Weir raced DH (as opposed to super d) he would run Nanoraptors for his rear tire.

Are you going to run a Nanoraptor in DH races just because Mark Weir does?

Just how far does your hero worship go, Yody?

Steve Peat runs bald rear tires with 44PSI - are you going to do that, too?

Maybe you should only run 3 bolts in your 6 bolt brake rotor, cause that's what some pro's do.

Stick with what you know. And if you don't know anything, just say that. I don't give a rats ass what Mark Weir does.

Nice projection there buddy. I mentioned one thing about Mark Weir and a tire he runs and you go off an entire RANT. Maybe Mark Weir had relations with your ol lady and you're still upset about it, I dunno? I don't give a flying rats ass about him but when some SQUID on the internet comes off saying that "these tires are too heavy" "these tires don't corner" I'm going to have to point out the logic in that maybe its not the tire and its the RIDER. If you ride in the east bay and can't manage to push a 900 gram tire, and can't corner on a superb tire, and need a dissent 2.5 downhill tire just to manage normal single track without falling off a cliff then maybe you should brush up on your skills and stop spreading bad information about products you're not good enough to take advantage of.

The fact is Wolverine tires are perfect for drifting, just shows how much you know, the spiny knobs dig in and will flex, while holding and holding. As they start to break loose you can feel the drift progressively, while the tire continues to try and dig in for traction. Similar to the Weirwolf tire that is too heavy for your scrawny legs.

I happen to be running both the Weirwolf and Wolverine TCS tires on my bike as we speak so I think I might have some insight compared to you, who obviously does not have any direct, long term experience with either.

At the end, in a way you make a good point. These might be intermediate to advanced tires, a typical squid might not be able to take advantage of what they have to offer, and instantly brush them off as crap.

Nice projection there buddy. I mentioned one thing about Mark Weir and a tire he runs and you go off an entire RANT. I don't give a flying rats ass about him but when some SQUID on the internet comes off saying that "these tires are too heavy" "these tires don't corner" I'm going to have to point out the logic in that maybe its not the tire and its the RIDER. If you ride in the east bay and can't manage to push a 900 gram tire, and can't corner on a superb tire, and need a dissent 2.5 just to manage normal single track without falling off a cliff then maybe you should brush up on your skills and stop spreading bad information about products you're not good enough to take advantage of.

You're funny, Yody. I'll need to look up "squid" in the dictionary of childish terms. Or maybe I should ask my wife's 4th graders?

It is no coincedence that when I raced on the wolverines this last year my best finish was only 13th, while the weirwolves and small block 8's got me a 2nd place and 5th place.

This is highly scientific shti right here.

I like how you're making this all personal and stuff. I hope to see you in the east bay hills, soon. I would be glad to show you a fabulous cliff side trail!

Nice projection there buddy. I mentioned one thing about Mark Weir and a tire he runs and you go off an entire RANT. Maybe Mark Weir had relations with your ol lady and you're still upset about it, I dunno? I don't give a flying rats ass about him but when some SQUID on the internet comes off saying that "these tires are too heavy" "these tires don't corner" I'm going to have to point out the logic in that maybe its not the tire and its the RIDER. If you ride in the east bay and can't manage to push a 900 gram tire, and can't corner on a superb tire, and need a dissent 2.5 downhill tire just to manage normal single track without falling off a cliff then maybe you should brush up on your skills and stop spreading bad information about products you're not good enough to take advantage of.

The fact is Wolverine tires are perfect for drifting, just shows how much you know, the spiny knobs dig in and will flex, while holding and holding. As they start to break loose you can feel the drift progressively, while the tire continues to try and dig in for traction. Similar to the Weirwolf tire that is too heavy for your scrawny legs.

I happen to be running both the Weirwolf and Wolverine TCS tires on my bike as we speak so I think I might have some insight compared to you, who obviously does not have any direct, long term experience with either.

At the end, in a way you make a good point. These might be intermediate to advanced tires, a typical squid might not be able to take advantage of what they have to offer, and instantly brush them off as crap.

Nice edit to add.

I used to work with Mark Weir at WTB. I have weirwolves, wolverines and dissents on my bikes today, as we speak.

You're funny, Yody. I'll need to look up "squid" in the dictionary of childish terms. Or maybe I should ask my wife's 4th graders?

It is no coincedence that when I raced on the wolverines this last year my best finish was only 13th, while the weirwolves and small block 8's got me a 2nd place and 5th place.

This is highly scientific shti right here.

I like how you're making this all personal and stuff. I hope to see you in the east bay hill, soon. I would be glad to show you a fabulous cliff side trail!

Ironic, weren't you a huge supporter against that UC weirdo who attacked you? Didn't you go sit in on all the court hearings?

Yet now you're threatening to push me off a cliff on the trail?

Good luck with that.

I'm done with you and your squid tire post (yeah go look it up squid) I don't care what tires you have or how many times you sucked off Mark Weir at WTB and are still mad about the eye shot. You went off on a rant and then threatened to push me off a cliff. I don't give a shyt who you are or if this is the internet. I'm not hard to find.

Ironic, weren't you a huge supporter against that UC weirdo who attacked you? Didn't you go sit in on all the court hearings?

Yet now you're threatening to push me off a cliff on the trail?

Good luck with that.

I'm done with you and your squid tire post (yeah go look it up squid) I don't care what tires you have or how many times you sucked off Mark Weir at WTB and are still mad about the eye shot. You went off on a rant and then threatened to push me off a cliff. I don't give a shyt who you are or if this is the internet. I'm not hard to find.

Done

I'm glad you're done. You took what was an otherwise fine thread and turned it into a personal attack.

You don't know me, yet you accosted me personally. You suggested I don't have the skill set to provide good reviews on tires and said I am spreading bad information.

You went so far as to suggest my lack of skill was responsible for a bad crash earlier in the year when I fell off a cliff.

This is all really in poor taste.

You should go ride your bike and come back when you're thinking more clearly.

If you're not capable of clear headed thinking, without the personal attacks, maybe don't come back at all.

Goodbye squid, I have more important things to do this morning, nice try on the reverse psychology though. I'm 30 year old, 6'2", 190ilbs, ride a white Mojo HD, typically solo. Please come see me and attempt to push me off a cliff because you don't know how to ride and I pointed it out.

Goodbye squid, I have more important things to do this morning, nice try on the reverse psychology though. I'm 30 year old, 6'2", 190ilbs, ride a white Mojo HD, typically solo. Please come see me and attempt to push me off a cliff because you don't know how to ride and I pointed it out.

6'2" and 190# is not the norm for accomplished cyclist. George Hicapie is 6'4" and 174. Are you sure you're a cyclist and not a professional eater?

Back on the tire topic....what is the best tire for a 29er hardtail? I mostly ride Ord and my current tires suck in loose dirt and sand. I do plan on venturing out to other places in the near future (possibly the oregon trip).

Since I don't like writing, I don't have a blog to pimp. This space for rent.

WTB tires = "what to buy?"

Pissing contests notwithstanding, this debate over which WTB tire is the perfect Bay Area 26" tread jives with my gripe that their lineup is pretty confusing from where I'm sitting. I kind of wish they would come out and say definitively "this tire is good for X" and "if you ride like Y, you should pick Z," or some sort of chart balancing the relative merits of each tire against each other. While I haven't ridden all of them, there seems like a huge amount of overlap between the Wolverine, the Weirwolf, the Mutano, the Prowler, and potentially the Bronson, with different widths and this whole TCS business making a further difference. I've always like WTB's product and like to support a local company, but it's really difficult to know what to try next, and a potentially expensive experiment. It doesn't help that their pros are racing XC low-tread tires on SD/enduro courses, so the rider categories are pretty useless compared to real information about tread behavior in certain conditions.

With Schwalbe it's really clear: Racing Ralph< Nobby Nic< Fat Albert< Big Betty. Each time you step up a notch, you sacrifice rolling resistance and weight for greater traction and durability. I've been running their tires exclusively for the past couple of seasons, partly because the clear lineup takes the guesswork out of buying, which is especially important given the astronomical price. WTB seem to have stepped it up a notch lately, which has me wanting to give them another go.

I love those Mutano's when it's dry on the rear but man, I agree they don't hold up at all. I tore a knob off almost every ride in the mountains this summer and they are slicker than shiz in the wet. I just put on a Maxxis Ingnitor on the rear, which I hope will perform a bit better in the mud.

Anyone running Ignitors?

I liked the Ignitor fine on the rear on 29" wheels in dry conditions. Absolutely hated it in mud. Hope you have a better experience than I did.

I just grabbed some more popcorn now I see the tone may be getting abit civil! Uhhhgghhh. Well at least ihb "appears" to be.

I am so civil it hurts.

I have no idea why Yody would think I would push him off a cliff. He suggested my skills suck and that's why I crashed. I'd love to show him the trail. I would hope after seeing it, he wouldn't even attempt to ride it. It's a stupid section to ride.

It's odd that this suddenly turned into a flame war, when up to that point we were just talking tires. I've read many of yody's posts and have found him to be very knowledgable about bikes.

Let's put this one behind us, ok?

Now his professional eating escapades are really over the line and there's no reason he needs to brag about his obesity on a cycling website. it's just wrong.

I have no idea why Yody would think I would push him off a cliff. He suggested my skills suck and that's why I crashed. I'd love to show him the trail. I would hope after seeing it, he wouldn't even attempt to ride it. It's a stupid section to ride.

It's odd that this suddenly turned into a flame war, when up to that point we were just talking tires. I've read many of yody's posts and have found him to be very knowledgable about bikes.

Let's put this one behind us, ok?

Now his professional eating escapades are really over the line and there's no reason he needs to brag about his obesity on a cycling website. it's just wrong.

Same here, forget about it, its just the internet and its just mountain bike tires. I never figured you as the squid I was trying to make you out to be haha

but I swear if I could be a professional internet **** talker I'd be rich by now